Bookbinding



Filed Sept. 9, 1929 Z-2 A TTURNEK Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES CHARLES R. nownnn, or WALPOLE, nassaonusnrrs BOOKBINDING Application filed September 9, 1929.

This invention relates to book structures and more particularly to the binding of books.

In most books the group of signatures or leaves which make up the body of the book,

and in the trade customarily is referred to v as the book, is bound to, and protected by, two covers. The connecting element which secures the book and covers together consists of or includes a super, the central part of which is glued, cemented or otherwise adhesively secured. to the back of the book While its margins are overlapped upon and cemented to the inner margins of the cover. 1 Usually a super consists simply of an openly woven fabric, such as unbleached starched cheese cloth. In some cases, however, it is made of firmer material and occasionally, as in text books, two pieces of super are u used in order to give added strength, both pieces, however, usually consisting of an openly woven, relatively inexpensive fabric. A, better and more expensive binding is made by sewing the signatures or folios to short lengths of tape at the back of the book, and pasting the ends of the tapes to the cover, a super usually being employed in addition to the tapes. This, however, is a construction much less commonly used. The margins of the super are concealed by the lining sheets for the covers, these sheets also giving added security to the union between the super and the covers.

When a book made in this manner is subjected to rough handling it is a very common occurrence for the super to begin to tear at one end of the book, and when such a rupture has been started, the super usually hasbeen weakened to such an extent that considerable care must be exercised to prevent one or both covers from being completely torn away from the book.

The present invention is especially concerned with these conditions. It aims so to improve the binding of books as to increase greatly the strength and wearing qualities of the binding without materially adding to the expense ofmanufacture.

The nature of the invention will be readily to understood from the following description but it differs from the super-s heretofore used Serial No. 391,212.

when read in connection with the accompany 1 ing drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I a

In the drawings, a Figure 1 is a perspective view of abook structure embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slightlydifs ferent form of the invention {and Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrammatic views showing the construction of the supers.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the leaves forming the book proper are shown at 2, the covers at 3-3, and the super which holds the leaves of the book together and connects the 5 book with the covers is indicated at 4:. In a typical construction each cover consists of a board, such as that shown at 5, covered with a sheet material of some appropriate character, fabric, leather, or the like, ordinarily being used. This material covers the outer surfaces and edges of the board, while the innersurface of the board iscovered with a lining material 6, usually of paper. Thesuper 4 may be applied in the usual manner, 76

in that it includes a series of groups or bands a of threads, the individuals of each group or band lying side by side and being closely associated with each other, and adjacent groups being connected by loosely woven sections ofthe super. The opposite end portions of each of these bands or groups 0: of threads are cemented or otherwise secured to the covers 3-3 while their intermediate portions are secured to the back of the book 2. The entire weight of the super need not be greater than thatofsupers used heretofore, for corresponding sizes and grades of bindings, the increased numberof threads a running horizontally from one cover to the other being compensated for by reducing the number of threads that run vertically or parallel to the back of the book. It is obvious that the value of thelatter threads lies almost exclusively in their function of holding the transverse or horizontal threads, including the threads a, in their proper spaced relationship, and that they have practically no eii'ect in resisting strains tending ly associated group of threads is more ef-.,

fective in resisting forces tending to start the tearing of the super. Usually the supers are cut from a web of fabric in a slitting machine and by spacing the hands a of transverse thread at relatively close intervals, say for example, one-half or five-eighths of an inch, no substantial tearing of the super can occur before one of these bands of threads is reached. The-localized strength or resistance to tearing afforded by such a band is far greater than that found in the usual super. I

The cross-sectional construction of the super 4 is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 1. From an inspection of this figure it will be seen that the bands a of transverse threads are interwoven with the vertical threads and because the threads at are arranged side by side in a parallel relationship, the overall thickness of the fabric is not substantially greater at the bands than are the intervening sections of fabric.- This is of advantage in making a smooth binding and avoiding the presence of ridges.

Fig. 2 shows a similar construction differing from that shown in Fig. 1 only in the nature of the super. Here the threads of the transverse bands a of the super 4: are 'increased considerably in number, or the bands are made wider, so that the resistance to tearing is increased materially.

' It is preferable in weaving both of the fabri'cs at and 4 to have the warp run in the direction of the bands aa, the threads in these bands being warp threads, while those threads running transversely to the bands aa are the filling or weft threads. Assuming, for example, that the super'heretofore used for a given purpose has a 28 x 24 weave, that is 28 warp threads per inch and 24 filling threads per inch, 8 threads may be taken from thefilling and added to the warp, thus making a 36 x 16 fabric, without changing materially the expense ofthe goods. At the same time the strength of the super in the direction in which strength is required in the book is increased very substantially. If certain of the warp threads are grouped in a manner such as that above described, the effective strength of the super against tearing in the ordinary manner is further increased. An economy in the weaving operation is effected due to the reduction in the number of 'filling threads per .inch. It is preferable,

however, to

use at least 12filling threads per inch. P

To state the matter somewhat differently, a book bound with a super of this character is given much of the strength of the tape construction, the strength being obtained, however, in a much more economical manner. For a considerable variety of work this construction will eliminate the use of tapes. On the other hand, if the ordinary super :gives ample strength for an individual job, a saving can be effected by using a super such as that shown which will have greater transverse strength than the ordinary super but will be more economical because of the difference in construction.

lVhile I have hereinshown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. In a book including a group of signatures, a pair of covers therefor, and a super securing said signatures andsaid covers to-.

gether, a super characterized by the fact that said super includes flat bands of closely as-- sociated threads which extend across the backs of the signatures, said bands being spaced from each other by intervening loosely woven sections of the super.

2. In a book includinga group of signa tures, a pair of covers therefor, and a super securing-said signatures. and said covers to.- gether, a super characterized by the fact thatsaid superincludes fiat bands of closely asso-, ciated parallel threadsextending across (the backs of the signatures andsecuring the signatures to both covers, said super also having. widely spaced threads extending transverse v 1y to, and interwoven withthe threads of said bands, and additional threads extending, approximately parallel to said bands and in terwoven with said transverse threads to. form loosely, woven intervening sections of the super. 7

3. In a book tures, a pair of covers therefor, and a super securing said signatures and said covers to-. gether, a super characterized by the fact that said super includes flat bands of closely asso-" ciated parallel threads extending across the backs of the signatures and securing the signatures to both covers, said bands being spacedfrom each other byintervening looses, ly woven sections of the super,and the overall thickness of said super at saidbands be ing approximately the same as that of inter.- vening sections of the super. jj 4.111 a book including a group of signatures, a pair of covers therefor, and .a super securing said signatures and said covers together, a super characterizedby thefactthat said super includes fiat bands of closely associated threads which extend across the backs of the signatures, said bands being v spaced- :including a group of signa-' from each other by intervening loosely Woven sections of the super, said bands being so spaced as to locate one of the bands adjacent the top edge of the super, and to locate another of the bands adjacent the lower edge of the super thereby to absorb primary strains in the book.

5. In a book including a group of signatures, a pair of covers therefor, and a super 1 securing said signatures and said covers together, a super characterized by flat, parallel bands of elements, each element being co1nposed of a plurality of closely associated threads, the bands being spaced apart by substantial distances, and the elements in each band being spaced slightly from each other.

CHARLES RUDOLPH HOWVARD. 

